From mirror selfrecognition to the lookingglass self. We imagine how we appear to others, we imagine the judgment of that appearance, and we develop our self identity. According to this theory, people first imagine how they appear to others. Charles cooley looking glass self video khan academy.
He is perhaps best known for his concept of the looking glass self, which is the concept that a persons self grows out of societys interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others. Cooley essay sample i will be talking about the looking glass self, made famous by famed american sociologist charles horton cooley. According to cooley, the individual comes to know or define himself through the process of internalizing his. Using the looking glass self theory to cultivate identity. A key idea that contributed to the development of symbolic interactionism is the work of the sociologist charles cooley on the looking glass. Therefore, this research explored the relationships between students self esteem and their social and academic perceptions. The lookingglass self is a concept introduced by charles horton cooley in 1902. The looking glass self theory states that we change our selfperception based on how we guess others perceive us, not on how they actually perceive us. Charles horton cooley and the lookingglass self the.
Just like the reflections in a mirror, the self depends on the perceived responses of others. Cooleys 1902 looking glass self theory and the behaviours and attitudes of marginalised. Due to this, during the present study which was based on the theory of cooley, looking glass self lgs, role of perception of other members of the society at. The lookingglass self is a popular theory within the sociological field that explains a formation of selfimage via reflection or based on their understanding of how others perceive them. Cooley sought to understand society and how society shaped people. The investigation of the term ghetto and the consequences of the term were conducted under the looking glass self.
I have read the lookingglass self with delight and instruction. Third, people have an emotional reaction to that imagined judgment, such as. In the early 1900s, social psychologist charles horton cooley proposed a theory called the looking glass self. A study of the apple brand scott stewart this thesis introduces looking glass identity value as an extension to current identity value theory, arguing that consumers use the brand outgroup as a reflexive entity to reflect back to them their own beliefs and feelings regarding a brand. He is also known for the concept of the lookingglass self. This concept stems from our interpersonal perception of what another individuals impression is on us and how we form ourselves towards that initial perception. The concept of the lookingglass self states that part of how we see ourselves comes from our perception of how others see us cooley, 1902. This study brought an enduring social psychology theory into the era of mass selfcommunication. The looking glass self mirror mirror book 1 kindle edition. There are as many theories of the self as there are theorists, so were going to explore two of the most prominent and influential accounts in sociology. He noted the reflexive self consciousness of our experience, how we. Looking glass self is a term coined by the sociologist charles horton cooley, and refers to his proposal that the individuals perception of himself is based on how he believes that others perceive him. The lookingglass self theory is also known as symbolic interactionism. Second, they imagine how others judge them based on that appearance.
The looking glass self 3 sympathy and understanding of anothers plight. Concept of the looking glass self introduction cooley was influenced by approaches such as pragmatism and darwinism. The negative effects of the concept of the lookingglass self can be harmful to the peoples. Process whereby an individual develops his identity or selfconcept. The term looking glass self was created by american sociologist charles horton cooley in. Through the looking glass of telecopresent others shanyang zhao temple university the impact of others in telecopresence on the formation of self has not been well studied, and existing research on the self in cyberspace has focused mostly on. Understanding charles cooleys looking glass self tim. As infants, human beings form their very selves from the reflections and responses gained by their earliest behaviors visited upon the other, or any participant in ones earliest socialization. Ill deal with goffman in a future post, as theres a lot more meat to his theory. Cooley wrote that peoples ideas of themselves have three principal elements. Created by charles horton cooley in 1902 mcintyre 2006, the lookingglass self is a social psychological concept that a persons self grows out of societys interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others. Process whereby an individual develops his identity or self concept.
Therefore, this research explored the relationships between students selfesteem and their social and academic perceptions. To me it has aspects of issues we go through today, the big one being conformity, because the lookingglass self is simply a form of conformity. Cooley thought we gain a sense of who we are by observing our own. The concept disregards the existing differences between the groups of people in the society, implying that people overlook their likes. Meads theory of self and cooleys looking glass self. We studied the sociologist charles cooleys theory of the looking glass self. View looking glass self theory ppts online, safely and virusfree. We explain meads theory of self and cooleys looking glass self with video tutorials and quizzes, using our many waystm approach from multiple teachers. Using the looking glass self theory to cultivate identity value. Khan academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at.
In this theory, people develop a sense of who they are and what to think of themselves by watching the reactions of the people in their primary group as well as those they meet throughout their lives. The term looking glass self is the idea that a persons sense of self grows out of societys interactions with. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. This theory applied not only to the individual but to the macrolevel. It is seen as the key to financial success, health, and personal fulfillment, and it is regarded as the antidote to underachievement, crime, and drug abuse branden, 1994. The lookingglass self is created through the imagination of how ones self might be understood by another individual.
Charles cooleys looking glass self, and erving goffmans the presentation of self in everyday life. Describe charles cooleys theory of the lookingglass self explain the three concepts that relate to the development of selfimage to unlock this lesson you must be a member. Cooleys looking glass self cooley argued that the self is a product of our social interactions with other people that involves three steps. Readings in sociological psychology and microsociology, chapter 4, writes. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The weaknesses of the concept include the insistence on the subjective society to cause people to behave in a certain way possibly forcing them to ignore their values to please others. As infants, human beings form their very selves from the reflections and responses gained by their earliest behaviors visited upon the. Special emphasis is given to the pragmatics of speech acts, the presentation of self in interaction rituals, the accounts given by actors in justification of their. Even though cooley was influenced by weber, cooleys examination was more psychological than webers. They act as the mirror to people where they seek for judgments and feedbacks from other people. The looking glass self california state university.
Recognize george herbert mead and charles cooleys theories of how the self is constructed. Cooleys most significant contribution was his idea of the looking glass self. The lookingglass self is a social psychological concept stating that a persons self grows out of societys interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others. The concept of looking glass self and its importance can also be seen through the growing social media. Cooley was working to develop a theory of self as essentially. Lookingglass self article about lookingglass self by. Symbolic interaction theory and the lookingglass self offers an explanation for this link. An example would be ones mother would view their child as flawless, while another person. Page 100 the journal of social media in society 41.
Charles horton cooleys looking glass self explained by dr. Learn for free about math, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, finance, history, and more. Cooleys 1902 looking glass self posits that the selfconcept is built, in part, by how a person. This self is different from the self that is manifest as both body and being different from the self that is tangible, touchable, and lives in particular earthly locations, the self expressed within specific human relations. Based on likes, comments or followers the sense of a self develops. In a very large and interesting class of cases the social reference takes the form of a somewhat definite imagination of how ones selfthat is, any idea he. Pdf marginalized through the looking glass self the. Since selffeeling and social feeling are two sides of the same phenomenon, then personal freedom is tied to the relations that comprise society.
Charles cooley and the looking glass self we see our self as someone that others see we imagine how those others judge, evaluate, or assess our self we react to that imagined judgment, evaluation, or assessment. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Cooleys most significant contribution was his idea of the lookingglassself. Charles cooleys 1922 idea of the looking glass self lgs is an accepted part of modern sociology. Symbolic interaction theory and the looking glass self offers an explanation for this link. To further explain would be how oneself imagines how others view himher. This study brought an enduring social psychology theory into the era of mass self communication.
Looking glass self the lookingglass self is a social psychological concept, created by charles horton cooley in 1902. Sociologist charles cooley, in an excerpt of his writings included in spencer cahills inside social life. The term looking glass self was created by american sociologist charles horton cooley in 1902, and introduced into his work human nature and the social order. An empirical test and elaboration kingto yeung, rutgers university, new brunswick john levi martin, rutgers university, new brunswick abstract we test the hypothesis inspired by mead and cooley, that ones selfperceptions are an internalization of the perceptions of the views of others, using a large set of network. Because people conform to how they think others think them to be, its difficult, or. Chapter 8 selfesteem selfesteem is the panacea of modern life. Introduced and edited by daniel sharp, looking glass self is a new special version of cooleys pioneer work of social theory which was originally published as human nature and the social order. We might feel that we have a great sense of humor, for example, because others have told us, and often laugh apparently sincerely at our jokes. Lookingglass self definition the lookingglass self is the process by which people evaluate themselves based on how others see them. It is described as our reflection of how we think we appear to others. The looking glass self mirror mirror book 1 kindle. There is no mention of the looking glass self in that reference and it has therefore been deleted. Khan academy is a nonprofit with the mission of providing a free, worldclass education for anyone, anywhere. It explains a formation of your self image through a reflection.
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